Ch. 31
Chapter 31. Can't Hook Fish? Then I'll Hook Something Else!
On the banks of the Qinglin River.
The sun was bright, scattering rippling light across the water.
Quite a few anglers were sparsely scattered along both banks, because the Qinglin River contained a kind of fish called the Qinglin Fish. It was extremely valuable, and eating it could calm a martial artist’s mind and increase their spiritual strength.
Jiang Yichen did not go over to squeeze in with them. Instead, he chose a quieter spot with fewer people.
Su Linyu took out a large pile of gear from her spatial bag, startling the nearby fishing enthusiasts.
One reason was Su Linyu’s breathtaking beauty. The other was that none of that fishing equipment was cheap. A single rod was worth over a million.
And the fact that she had taken it out of a spatial bag left no room for doubt. She was a martial artist.
Martial artists were either cultivating or on their way to cultivate, standing at the front lines to defend Huaxia against demonic beasts. They were people the world respected deeply.
So for a martial artist to come fishing really was an exceedingly rare sight.
“Brother Yichen, here’s your rod. Good luck,” Su Linyu said sweetly as she handed him one.
Jiang Yichen waved a hand and took out the Fishing Rod of the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. “I’ll use this one.”
Su Linyu blinked her adorably vacant eyes and stared at the green bamboo rod. “Brother Yichen, the fish in this river are huge. Won’t this rod snap?”
“Trust me.”
“All right.” Su Linyu did not dwell on it. She set down two reclining chairs and went to prepare bait for herself.
Jiang Yichen put on his sunglasses and sat in one of the chairs. Looking at the mist floating above the river in the sunlight, he felt a rare sense of comfort.
Far away from the frantic pace of the city, spending an idle day fishing had a charm all its own.
“Brother Yichen, here’s your bait.”
Su Linyu handed him the prepared bait.
Jiang Yichen nodded, awkwardly hooked it on, cast his line into the water, and quietly began to wait.
The anglers around them could not help smiling at the sight.
“You’re supposed to chum the water before you fish. He doesn’t even know something that basic. He’s obviously just here to put on a show for his girlfriend.”
“Why do you care? They’re martial artists. Watch your tone.”
“So what if he’s a martial artist? Fishing depends on skill. If he can actually hook something like that, I’ll eat a whole pound.”
“...”
“Brother Yichen, I checked online, and it says you’re supposed to chum the water first so the fish gather here,” Su Linyu suggested as well.
Jiang Yichen hesitated for a moment. The Fishing Rod of the Myriad Heavens and Worlds probably did not need any chumming.
“No need. We just wait.” He trusted the power of the system.
Su Linyu smiled and nodded. It seemed that as long as he was happy, anything was fine with her.
Afraid he might get bored, she had even prepared plenty of snacks and little toys.
Even Jiang Yichen had to admit that Su Linyu had prepared astonishingly thoroughly for this fishing trip.
So this was what it felt like to be doted on by someone utterly devoted. It felt wonderful.
He summoned Bai Ze from his pet space and placed it in Su Linyu’s arms. “If you get bored, just pet it.”
Su Linyu did not actually like fishing. In the past, aside from fawning over him, she had spent all her time cultivating.
Jiang Yichen had been worried that she would be bored.
But... his concern seemed a little unnecessary.
“Brother Yichen, are you worried about me?” Su Linyu cuddled the fluffy Bai Ze and struck an adorable pose. “Little tiger, did you hear that? Brother Yichen is worried about me.”
“Oh, right, Brother Yichen, does it have a name?”
Jiang Yichen shook his head.
Su Linyu’s eyes turned, and she stroked Bai Ze’s little head. “It’s so white. Let’s call it Xiao Bai.”
“That works.” Leaning back in the reclining chair, Jiang Yichen watched Su Linyu’s delighted expression and smiled faintly.
As the two chatted and laughed, the float on the water began to tremble up and down.
Jiang Yichen sensed it at once and gripped the rod with both hands.
Something was coming. What would he catch? A heavenly treasure? A peerless cultivation art? Doraemon...?
Expectation shone in his eyes.
The moment the float sank beneath the surface, he pulled hard with both hands.
He had expected something heavy, but it turned out to be extremely light.
“Wow! Brother Yichen, you hooked something! You’re amazing~” Su Linyu clapped beside him, delighted for him.
That kind of encouragement, paired with a face on the level of a campus beauty, could make anyone lose his head.
Jiang Yichen lifted the rod, and the thing hanging from the hook rose out of the water.
It was clearly not a fish, but a pair of snow-white boots.
The nearby anglers could not help laughing at the sight.
Su Linyu looked at the boots he had caught, scratched her head, and raised a little fist. “Even though you didn’t catch a fish, Brother Yichen, you still caught such beautifully made boots. That’s amazing too. Let’s keep it up.”
Her mouth really was sweet.
Jiang Yichen smiled, took the boots into his hand, and examined them. The workmanship was exquisite, and there was not the slightest sign of age.
A prompt slowly appeared before his eyes.
【Cloud-Treading Boots: Wearing them increases a martial artist’s speed by 150%. Fast as lightning. Personally tested by Old Devil Han.】
A 150% speed increase. That boost was incredible!
Even ordinary seventh-rank Magical Artifacts only offered a maximum speed increase of 100%.
A good item. He kept it.
Jiang Yichen cast his line again. Two and a half minutes later, the float sank beneath the water once more.
He reacted swiftly and snapped the rod up. It was still light. Hanging from the hook were two fruits, one blue and one red.
This time, the anglers around them completely lost it. What on earth was he even catching?
Some of those who had already reeled in fish even lifted their big catches in Jiang Yichen’s direction, but he did not care in the slightest.
You were catching fish.
I was not.
“Wow! Brother Yichen actually caught wild fruit. That’s incredible,” Su Linyu praised him just as earnestly.
Jiang Yichen took the two fruits into his hands. The crackling force of lightning and the scorching heat of flame traveled from his skin straight into his mind.
【Rumble-Rumble Fruit: After consuming it, one can release high-voltage currents at will, control the power of lightning, and use a lightning form to increase speed...】
【Phoenix Fruit: After consuming it, one can regenerate rapidly and be reborn through flames like an immortal bird.】
What the hell!
These were Devil Fruits from anime before the Great Cataclysm, and he had actually fished them up. The power of the system was incredible.
Jiang Yichen tossed the two fruits to Su Linyu. “Keep the red one for yourself. Give the blue one to Xiao Bai.”
With that, he cast his line again and continued fishing.
Su Linyu froze for a moment, but when she sensed the energy contained in the two fruits, she stood there in stunned silence.
The ultimate power of lightning, the searing heat of blazing fire... these two fruits...
She was utterly shocked. She fed the blue fruit to Bai Ze.
Bai Ze swallowed it in one gulp. In an instant, arcs of electricity wrapped around its white fur, making every hair stand on end.
Su Linyu stared in shock and exclaimed, “Brother Yichen, how can the wild fruit you caught give Xiao Bai the power of lightning?”
Jiang Yichen only smiled and said mysteriously, “A secret.”
There was no way he could reveal that this rod could fish across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. That was simply too outrageous.
“Wow! Brother Yichen is even amazing at fishing. I adore you~” Su Linyu looked like an infatuated little girl.
Jiang Yichen found it amusing and continued his fishing enterprise.
Almost every two and a half minutes, something came up, and everything he caught was strange and bizarre.
A Starblade, a Human-Rat Hood, the complete explanation of the Golden Light Spell...
The anglers who had originally laughed at Jiang Yichen for not being able to catch fish gradually realized that something was wrong.
If it only happened once or twice, then catching other things instead of fish could be chalked up to bad luck. But catching all kinds of bizarre objects every single time was anything but ordinary.
“It’s here. This one’s heavy!”
Jiang Yichen suddenly jerked the rod upward, and the bamboo pole bent at a visible speed.
This was a truly big catch!
The anglers around him could not help crowding over.
Su Linyu’s eyes lit up. By now, she had been completely stunned by the things Brother Yichen was pulling up.
The items he caught were simply heaven-defying.
The Starblade could never be damaged.
Place the Human-Rat Hood on someone else’s head, and it would trigger the “Life Gamble” skill.
And then there was the complete cultivation manual for the Golden Light Spell... it was all simply too miraculous.
Su Linyu clenched her little fist and stared fixedly at the taut fishing line, her eyes full of expectation.
What would this be?
Jiang Yichen bit down slightly, clearly straining. Whatever was on the other end of the line was far too heavy.
He could not care about anything else now. He drove the Blood Qi through his body, the muscles in his arms bulging as he hauled upward with all his strength.
The fishing line shot upward at once. A ray of golden light burst from the river’s surface and soared into the clouds, suspending itself high in the sky.
The gathered anglers looked up and saw an ancient gate wrapped in golden radiance slowly opening. Boundless light poured from it, too brilliant to look at directly.
Countless scriptures flew out from within the gate, accompanied by the solemn chant of sacred verses.
The anglers were dumbfounded. What exactly had he fished up this time?
Could this be the legendary feat of opening Heaven’s Gate with a single cast?
Jiang Yichen looked up as well, and another prompt appeared before his eyes.
【Heavenly Dao Sermon: Anyone who listens to it may enter a state of enlightenment, awaken the body’s latent potential, and comprehend the pinnacle of the martial path.】